Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-06-02

That evening our invalid was feeling
unusually wretched. She had cold in
her head which caused even her well born
and well bred little nose to feel uucom.
fCrtable. She would go TO bed and go to
sleep before her trombone neighbor
could have time to commence his over
ture. II she could avoid the opening
piece, she might perchance escape the
rest of the programme.
About eight o'clock the chambermaid
knocked at her door, but was not admit
ted.
"It's only that I'm told to ak if ye feel
able for game of whist" the girl ex-
planned through the keyhole.
"No," was the somewhat nasal reply.
please say that am very sorry and
have retired for the night"
The host and his wife were extremely
fond of cards, Mrs. Winchester knew, and
she smiled as she thought of what she had
escaped in not being able to play with the
snoring guest for, of course, the fourth
hand could be no other.
BY nine o'clock the house was perfectly
quiet; and after many futile attempts to
arrange her pillow so that she could
breathe with her mouth closed, the pa
tient sank off into an uneasy slumber with
her mouth open. The result cen be i'm
agined. With frequent gasps and jerks
and, shall we say itY snorts-the refined
aud representative victim of a cold in the
head would partially return TO conscious
ness, then lapse again into sound, but
certainly noisy slumber. But at last she
awoke with a start to find herself sit
ting upright in a STAGE of terror impos-
sible to describe. Some one had fred
pistol close to her ear. She was sure of
it, Nothing else would account for the
frightful noise and nervous shock. For
a moment she hardly dared lift her hands
to her head for fear she should find that
some section of it had been blown away,
Her nose was still there. She knew that
without examination. 1t seemed to her
like some colossal promontory in STATE
of blaze. By the softened light of the
night lamp, which always accompanied
the widow in all her travels, she soon saw
that she must have been mistaken. How
inexplicable! Mrs. Winchester was not
sgperstitious, but she finally concluded
that this. report must be a warning of
some kind. Could it by any possibility
refer TO Mr.. Browne? The much perplexed
for the thousandth time enumerated this
gentleman good qualities, that in true
culture and refinement he was giant
in a race of pigmies. This salts
factorily settled, Mrs. Winchester
carefully scrutinized her once patrician
nose, Just now in an accute state OF in
tlamation, and plebeian TO degree which
so shocked her sensibilities in disgust,
and applied the necessary medicameats IN
the dark, and then sought her couch and
tried to sleep. But the influenza was
stronger than Morpheus, and for an hour
or more the sufferer twisted and turned,
punched her pillows. counted and spelled,
and all to no purpose But there Is al
ways an end to all conditions; and at last
fatigue. came to the rescue, and the goal
was almost reached, when horror of horrors!
sound as of bursting shell came from
the room across the corridors The
mystery was solved. That was what had
gone off before when Mrs. Winchester
Thought she had lost the top Of her head.
The widows indignation was in exact pro
portion TO her physical suffering and her
chronic disgust of snoring and snorers.
Explosion number one was followed by q
series of modified but regular snorts,
whidh lasted several minutes, and then came
another SCATTERING report which seem
ed to Mrs. Winchester's over wrought
imagination to have knocked out both
transoms and smashed things generally.
1 This climax was followed by few mo
ments of silence broken at last by the
sound of heavy breathing, ProtracteG
groans and occasional nasal earthquakes.
Mrs. Winchester felt sure that it would
/ be impossible TO live tiN morning under
such conditions The rest in the music
were all delusive, and were invariable fol-
/ lowed by fierce crescendOes whioh were
sure to split when they reached their
I height, il a way which ought TO have
demolished the orchestra.
/ And so the night wore on. The widow
/ knew she never slept one wink. At any
4 rate the morning found her much ex-
! hausted, and scarcely able to sip the
coffee which Nellie brought at the usual
4 hour. After breakfast Mrs. Winchester
had decided TO lay the matter before her
/ hostess. The new boarder's room, or her
own must be changed
eShe is comming ply and by any
way" said Nellie smiling. "You see,
man, they had a great surprise for ye
!
Il had ali the surprise care for the
lady responded YEARLY.
But, you see, nam, this was COED
one" the girl persisted. They was go
ing to get you down to the cards, and
/ thin the door was going to pop open. and
foine. handsome ginueman was going
/ to walk in and set down."
"What-that one:"
Mrs Winchester pointed feeby in the
direction of the strangers room,
Yes" said Nellie, "the very one Elk
cuse me man, but he is an extra foin man
4 in appearance, bat he looked bit cut up
this morning when seen him driving
away"
He had gone then. Mrs. Winchester
inhibited her toast with renewed appe-
/ lite.
Gle isn't coming back, is he, NellieT
the lady inquired fearful that her rejoic-
ing might not, after all, have proper
/ foundation.
why, rspose so. man, the girl replied
( II evident astonishment. Its most
likely the gintleman will come back a,
D